Can handle and punch



Filed Feb. 21, 1955 FIGJ FIG.3

INVENTO United States Patent CAN HANDLE AND PUNCH Clarence Bernard Kohnen, St. Louis, Mo. Application February 21, 1955, Serial No. 489,411

1 Claim. (Cl. 30-123) The invent-ion comprises a simple device for puncturing the top of a can, such as ordinarily used for drinks, fruit juices, etc., which may be used also as a handle for holding the can while its contents are being drunk.

One object of the invention is to form a simple opener :and handle device by a single stamping and pressing operation from strip material which is so inexpensive that it may be used as an advertisement which may be supplied with the can or otherwise without charge.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described which will not project below the bottom of the can so as to tilt the can or to mar the surface upon which the can may be placed.

These objects are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the common fourteen ounce can used for beverages with the device applied as a handle by which the can may be lifted.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the handle and the upper portion of the can, as shown in Figure 1. The initial contour of the device as it is being applied to the can is indicated, exaggerated, by dot and dash lines.

Figure 3 is a similar section showing the device being applied to the can just before the parts have reached the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. Dot and dash lines indicate the distortion, exaggerated, of the device resulting from the completion of the application.

Figure 4 is a similar sec-tion showing the device being used to puncture the top of the can.

Figure 5 is a perspective of the device.

The can illustrated in the drawings is of familiar type having a side wall 1 and a top wall 2, united at their juncture by a bead 3 having a downwardly facing shoulder 4 at the same level as the can top 2.

The opener and handle device consists of a strap 5 having a generally concavo-convex contour from end to end. As shown, the strap is curved substantially from end to end but it may include straight line segments. The strap has an upper portion 6 with a downwardly directed terminal 7 which is pointed. The strap has a lower portion 8 with a horizontally directed terminal 9. Terminals 7 and 9 are directed towards the concave side of the strap.

A projection 10 is struck out from the body of the handle and projects from the concave face thereof and terminates in an upwardly directed tip 11 which, when the handle is upright, is at the same level as point 7.

When the handle is applied to the can, the elements 7,

Patented Oct. 9, 1955 11 and 9 will first assume the position shown in Figure 3. Upon suitable pressure on the device, as indicated by the arrow A, the handle will flex to permit the elements 7 and 9 to move away from each other and the element 11 to move under the bead shoulder 4 so that the three points 7, l1, and 9 simultaneously engage the opposed portions of the can with the strap distorted to maintain the assembly.

The strap may be swung about element 11 and the bead, as shown in Figure 4, to provide an aperture in the can top 2, whereupon the device should be removed and applied to another portion of the can to form a handle, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

It will be understood that the strap possesses sufiicient elasticity to yield under pressure to flex, as indicated by the broken lines, so as to shift from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 2, but the strap is sufficiently rigid to be used for puncturing the can top as shown in Figure 4. The yielding of the handle may be supplemented by the yielding of the can top wall or side wall, or both, but this will not affect the operation of the handle as intended.

The device as illustrated and described is simple and inexpensive, being formed of a single, short piece of strap metal and has no moving parts. It does not require engagement of the can bottom by the device, but depends upon the simultaneous contact of the device and the can at three points substantially spaced apart along the generally arcuate elongated strap.

It will be understood that the details of the structure may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claim is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

A can handle and perforator comprising an elongate one piece strip of resilient material having a tapered cutting point at its upper end, said strip being of earshaped configuration with said tapered point projecting downwardly, said strip having a hook on the inner surface thereof extending generally toward said point and terminating in an upwardly directed tip extending toward and disposed in spaced relation to the under surface of said strip, said point, when the can handle and perforator is in its unstressed condition and said tip and the lower edge of the strip are in vertical alignment, being disposed slightly below said tip, whereby when the strip is slightly flexed to hold a can, the point will bear against the top of the can and the lower edge will bear against the side of the can while the tip engages underneath and behind the top bead of the can to maintain the strip in its flexed condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,529,737 Oliver Nov. 14, 1950 2,639,502 Wormelle May 26, 1953 2,648,900 Anderson Aug. 18, 1953 2,707,827 Petram May 10, 1955 2,711,016 Krivanek June 21, 1955 

